Physical
Training Oct 2006
Requirements for a Suitable Education for Budo Sensei
copyright © 2006 Roberto González Haramboure. Ph.D,
all rights reserved
Introduction
The present article gives a summary of the information and experience
that we have been able to compile in different geographic locations
with respect to the characteristics, components, and services relating
to the development of professors of martial arts.
We have noted, in our previous work, that the context of the education
is made up of three fundamental aspects:
- The people in charge who plan, apply and evaluate the process
(professors)
- The educational process to apply in itself (the teaching)
- The people who receive the influences of the process (students)
It is known that, in modern society, the martial arts gain a greater
influence every day, due to acceptance of them in themselves for their
motivational component or for their benefits (or both?). In that sense
one has seen an increase in the number of students of different ages
and sexes. Consequent with this growth is an increase of those who are
in charge (the professors).
But an important aspect that, as much from the academic point of view
as the administrative, is related to all those components, is the
institutions in which this process is carried out. In that sense two
groups of institutions exist:
- Those in which the students form
- Those in which the professors form
Analysis
With respect to the first we see that there are an infinity of schools,
without regard to the art at issue, style, line or other indicator of
specialty.
With respect to second it is stated that:
- They do not have the same representativeness of the first type.
- Very frequently the teachers are developed within the dojo, where the
technical and philosophical aspects are specifically prioritized. In
this case the training diminishes (often obviously) other very
important aspects which affect the teacher's later performance.
- On the contrary in other institutions (like Pedagogical Universities
or Institutes of higher learning) these other aspects are sure to be
taught, but the specific technical and philosophical aspect of an art
is diminished (sometimes obviously).
- In other institutions (for instance Schools of Sport Trainers) we see
that they have tried to integrate both spheres.
Despite the best efforts, it has been possible to state that the main
objectives have not been met in full.
If we ask the people who attend martial arts dojo (something we have
already done in diverse geographic areas) the reasons that induce them
to follow that way, the main answers (depending on age and sex among
other aspects) are:
- To became a champion
- To became a black belt
- To raise self-esteem
- To ensure self-defense
- To increase muscle development
- To increase self discipline
- To lower weight
- To eliminate stress
Based on those criteria we are sure that, with professors trained more
and more integrally, it will be possible to meet these expectations
since not only will the education take place in more favorable
conditions to form more and better champions, educate the students
better, and reduce or eliminate stress and overweight bodies; but that
it will also enable the martial arts to be used in other directions
like:
- Developing psychomotricity in children and to harness its development.
- Complementing intellectual development by stimulating the qualities
related to the learning processes, analysis, synthesis, induction,
deduction, concentration of the attention and abstraction.
- Integrating into programs of psycho-physiological rehabilitation
But inevitably, for the professor to be totally enabled (and updated)
to carry out such important functions, they must have previously
journeyed by a pertinent process of formation. That is to say, they
must have received a good curriculum. Deepening that idea further, the
curriculum should be a: “structured series of knowledge and experiences
of learning, of intentional form articulate with the purpose of
producing learning that is translated into forms allowing the teacher
to think and to act on concrete problems”.
Following this reasoning, it is recognized that curriculum can only act
correctly when it has a pertinent design, in this case when it consists
of one: “that gives favorable answers to the exigencies of the
scientific-technical developments of the time, the social system and
the ones derived from the professional activity”. This means that
the curriculum must totally agree not only with the specific activity
taught, but with the historical moment and space in which the training
will be carried out. Not to consider those aspects will constitute an
error that would make the process fail, as other authors have
mentioned: “One of the problems of great importance than faces
education at present is related to the criteria of selection and
organization of the scientific-technical information in plans and
training programs, to the selection of the routes and the methods in
agreement with the learning aims. That's why one of the inescapable
questions when organizing and creating the education process is the
determination of the contents, their selection and structuring,
systematization, their ordering according to certain criteria, and
their metering”. This means that the professor must dominate to
fullness two fundamental aspects:
- What to teach (related to the contents)
- How to teach (related to the methods)
Over that base, we will enumerate some of the contents, activities and
services that must be offered in the Schools of Professors of Martial
Arts.
Proposal of solutions
1. Enabling new Professors:
The main subjects to treat would be the following ones:
- Theory and Methodology of Sport Training.
- Planning of the process of sport preparation.
- Theory and Methodology of Education.
- Ethics and formation of values.
- Physiology of the effort.
- Didactics of the physical activity.
- Biomechanics of the physical activity.
- Psycho pedagogy applied to sport training.
- Auxiliary pre-sport games as a means of development and
improvement of actions.
- Sport Metrology.
- Psycho motricity.
- Specialized technique (according to the specific martial art,
line and style)
- History of the martial arts.
- Philosophy of the martial arts.
- First aid.
These thematic subjects will provide new professors with the main
integral theoretical-methodological-practical arsenal that it will
allow them to begin their educational-educative work and the
corresponding acquisition of their first experiences as
pedagogical-professionals.
2. Updating and advancing the
instructor past the basical level (dojo).
In this phase one is must approach with greater depth the subjects
previously treated, as well as these new subjects:
- Strategies for the identification and selection of sport talents.
- Physical activity for people with psycho-physiological
disturbance.
- Massage.
In this phase the new trainers will increase and deepen their integral
theoretical-methodological-practical arsenal that will allow them to
reinforce their educational and educative work, enabling them to work
with a view to the fulfillment of more demanding objectives. It will be
possible, since they will be in better conditions to take care of the
personnel under their direction, to search for new students with a view
to maintaining the stability of the attained goals and profits or,
preferably to surpass them.
3. Updating and improving trainers for
high performance (Head Coach of Competitive Teams).
In this phase all the subjects previously treated are studied with
greater depth, as well as a new subject introduced:
- Psycho-physiological strategies to harness the sport output and
competitive results, diminishing the working time and the invested
resources.
On this aspect multiple contents could be developed, but in this case
what is asked for was the subject of part of my doctorate thesis and
consists of the application of special therapies of
psycho-physiological intervention to training, to intensify the
benefits, to complement recovery from the loads and to prevent
injuries. This strategy was demonstrated to be competitively effective
in obtaining very superior sport yields and results, with far less
working time and resources invested in the preparation process. Its
application has allowed me to obtain great results and recognition, and
at the moment it is being applied successfully in multiple sports and
countries in which I have developed courses on the matter agreeing with
the respective requests.
4. Enabling, updating and improving
the support personnel for the professors (physical trainers,
psychologists, physiotherapists)
- Physical training.
- Methodology of sport training.
- Physiology of exercise.
- Biomechanics of exercise.
- Psychology of exercise.
- Therapies for integral development: Aerobics, Taebo, Taichi,
Yoga, Stretching.
- Sport and therapeutic massage. Several eastern and western
techniques.
Those topics will guarantee to supporting personnel of sensei or
trainers, the main theoretical-methodological and practical arsenal
that allow them to began or go about their duties in an effective way,
actively helping to achieve higher competitive results without mental
or physical injuries in athletes.
5. Enabling, updating and improving
methodological and scientific personnel.
- Sport training methodology.
- Scientific research methodology applied to sport training and
martial arts.
Those topics will guarantee to sensei or any other scientific personnel
the main theoretical-methodological and practical arsenal that allow
them to began or go about their duties producing and transmitting
knowledge and experiences in an effective way, and for this
contribution to identify a better line of work that allows the
achievement of the best benefits with less investment in time and
effort.
This also includes the organization of events in which sensei and other
persons will be able to exchange and publish ideas, projects and
criteria to promote martial arts for general use.
6. Classification of sensei according
their professional competencies level.
For this, although it is true that there are many defining criteria, as
a generalization we have adopted a system designed by myself and an
international expert team, which has been scientifically and
practically proven, and which has been used for a doctorate thesis of a
student of mine. This system allows us to organize sensei in 6
different categories according to the satisfaction of many integral
requirements for correct pedagogical duty, with the consequent delivery
to the corresponding teachers of a degree level or pedagogical rank.
This system, by establishing different categories, is an effective way
to evaluate and select sensei in a practical and objective manner.
7. Classification of athletes
according their competitive results:
This is like the system mentioned before, but less known and used
internationally. In this case we have designed a system that, according
to competitive results, makes it possible to organize athletes into 7
different categories from competitive dojo to a world championships.
8. Pre-graduate and
Post-graduate activities.
It is known that martial degrees and titles are mostly not recognized
in educative institutions. For that reason it would be very useful to
establish contracts with universities and other relevant centers, in
order to offer sensei equivalent curricula and therefore allow them to
obtain an official certificate.
Neccessary closing words.
So far, after the corresponding analysis of the specific situation, we
have described the contributions we have made to several institutions
who have asked for our services, and which consequently have
enjoyed the benefits. Nevertheless we neither say that our way is the
best or the only way, nor do we want to minimize the work of any other
colleagues. On the contrary, in the present article we have shared the
knowledge and experiences that we have accumulated, those that day by
day we put on the interested hands of persons that, like I do, try to
help the development of this beautiful world of martial arts for the
benefit of mankind. If this goal is achieved, this article and my
work, has satisfied its expectations.
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